Griphook: "They have added Gemino and Flagrante curses! Everything you touch will burn and multiply, but the copies are worthless -- And if you continue to handle the treasure you will eventually be crushed to death by the weight of expanding gold!"

The Flagrante Curse is a curse that causes objects to emit searing heat when touched. An object bewitched in this way will burn not only flesh, but material as well. Protecting against this curse is difficult, as there are no outward signs of its use, though the Impervius Charm offers some degree of shielding. This spell can be used to protect valuables, and as witnessed by Harry Potter, Ron Weasley, and Hermione Granger when they broke-into the Lestrangevault it can prove deadly when used with the Gemino Curse.

Contents

Known uses

The valuables in the Lestrange Vault were protected with Flagrante curses.

A major use of the Flagrante curse was its placement on the gold and treasure in the Lestrange vault in Gringotts Bank in order to protect it from Harry Potter, Ron Weasley, and Hermione Granger's attempt to break in to steal Helga Hufflepuff's cup in the spring of 1998. The Flagrante Curse and Gemino curses were placed on the treasure inside so that everything touched would burn and then multiply until the would-be thief was crushed to death the amount of expanding gold if he or she kept trying to touch objects. Harry found a loophole of this curse by using the Sword of Gryffindor to grab the cup, which did not cause it to multiply or burn Harry's skin or clothes.

Known practitioners

Behind the Scenes

In Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2, this curse's placement on the gold in the Lestrange vault is omitted. Thus, when Harry, Ron, Hermione, or Griphook touched treasure, it would not burn but only multiply (the Gemino curse). However, in the video game adaption, it is used on the treasures as Hermione gets burned when she touches a goblet.

Flagrate may be related to the Flagrante Cursedue to the similarity of their etymologies. It is debatable if they are variations of each other or the same spell, as Flagrate and the Flagrante Curse are associated with different spell effects (Flagrate with a burning trail, and Flagrante with the object burning a person upon contact). However, it is still possible that they are the same curse, and that these different effects may be created based on the caster's intention.

Etymology

Derived from the Latin word "flagro," meaning "I burn."

Flagrante is the ablative singular form of the present participle flagrans, meaning burning in Latin. Whereas the fire-making spell incendio means "by means of fire," this curse means "by means of [something that is] burning."

Flagrante is also both French and Italian for flagrant, which is of course derived from the same Latin word in a more metaphorical usage.